You know Autumn is approaching when that jacket that’s been hibernating in the closet, becomes a necessity again.

I love the colourful fallen leaves of Autumn and how they crunch as you walk on them.

I’m usually a Spring person, but there is also something very appealing during this transition period.

I think it’s because it marks the start of that ‘cosy’ and ‘comfort’ feeling. Think snuggling under a woolly throw or finding warmth in a hot soup or slow cooked roast.

I’m starting to plan for Autumn entertaining at home and exploring different table decor.

I thought I’d show you an Autumn dinner party that I recently hosted. I’ve decided to showcase the beauty of Autumnal colours by decorating my table with miniature pumpkins, heritage tomatoes and fallen leaves collected from the garden.
I used an Indigo blue table runner, against which the bright shades of oranges, reds and greens pop.
I used gold rimmed plates and cutlery to add a little touch of luxury to the table.

A simple leaf on each plate completed the look.

You could write your guest’s name on each leaf to make a special place setting too.
All the colours and gifts of Autumn light up the table. This could be my perfect table setting for Thanksgiving.
Now for that colourful comfort food of Autumn. I would love to claim the credit for the food, but I leave the honour to my dear husband who cooked up a feast for our guests.
We had creamy Borscht to start, made from freshly picked sweet beetroots, and topped with sour cream, dill and a few edible flowers.

For the main course,we had a delicious slow roast chicken flavoured by grilled root vegetables.
The meal went down a treat. Definitely Autumn comfort food don’t you think?

Next up, is dessert. A meal is not complete without that right?

I was recently sent this limited edition Baileys Pumpkin Spice , and so thought it would be the perfect ingredient to use for making that after dinner sweet treat.

Did you know that Pumpkin spice doesn’t contain pumpkin in it? It’s actually a mixture of Autumnal spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

I am a huge fan of Baileys Irish cream anyway, so imagine how happy I was to receive this Autumnal version. It’s super delicious when mixed with coffee or just drunk on the rocks.
For dessert, I decided to make a layered pudding of Baileys Pumpkin Spice and chocolate mousse with hazelnuts and ginger nut crunch.
I used Martha Stewart’s simple chocolate mousse recipe and replaced the chocolate with Baileys for the pumpkin spice layer.

It’s pretty simple to make. The bottom layer is just crushed ginger nut biscuits, then layered with Baileys Pumpkin Spice mousse, then a layer of crushed hazelnuts, chocolate mousse, then biscuits again and more Baileys mousse. I used a Mason jar to serve and topped it up with freshly whipped cream infused with ground nutmeg and chocolate sprinkles.

Dessert was served with freshly brewed coffee.
You guessed it. We were all very much comforted from the Autumn chill after that meal.

I might stock up on more Baileys Pumpkin Spice for the Winter before it runs out. It would be great to use for our after Christmas meal coffee too.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this ‘celebrating Autumn’ post. Wishing you all a wonderful start to your week.

( All photography and styling are by Geraldine Tan, editor of Little Big Bell. This is a sponsored collaboration with Baileys, but all opinions and words are my own.)

Subscribe by email

Search the blog

This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary for it to function and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. By closing this banner or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to the use of cookies. If you want to change your browser’s cookie settings click here